Hot Yoga Experiences > Knees and shoulders and backs, oh my!
Herniated disc in my neck--triggers discomfort in my right shoulder blade and shoulder. What has helped so far is to not just fling my neck around, rebuild the spine slowly, and make sure my chest is always lifting towards the sky when I do a back bend and slowly drop my head back. No more neck circles either.
Laura
Just say not to neck circles ! In fact, moving your head yes -and no - up and down, side to side, as well as ear to shoulder - these are proper neck stretches. Circular movements are for the ball joints of your body - arms, hips, etc - which your neck clearly is not!
Herniated discs respond well to lifting the chest before backbends - in fact, all spines benefit from this! Each time you lift, you separate the vertebrae and "fluff up" the disc material between them...that keeps the spine young.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I don't know if this thread is where this post belongs, but during a double-set of Half Tortoise recently, a strange, almost cramp-like pain started spreading along my lower back, sort of just above the tailbone. Is this unusual? Am I doing something wrong?
REPLY: In general, cramping in the poses is usually a sign of dehydration. Half Tortoise is a wonderful stretching/lengthening of the lower back so another possibility is that you are feeling the oddness of muscles being stretched - some describe it as a "discomfort" simply because you feel it at all! Relax and breathe in the pose; Half Tortoise is one of the most relaxing in the series so try again and ask your teacher to watch this pose for you to see if you're doing anything amiss. I used to do this little involuntary lower back twitch before going into Half Tortoise that hurt and I didnt realize it till a teacher pointed it out
Mary-Rush
Hot Yoga has been my go-to therapy to heal my reoccurring running related knee injury. My common problem is my knee stiffens up so much it won't bend and it clicks and is quite painful going downstairs (IT band related). I have learned less running and increased hot yoga will work this out for me within a week or so. Highly recommended!
Amy A
I have a sordid history of herniated disc in my low back, and my latest and greatest injury is a whiplash to the lower neck area. Lately, I've noticed the awkward poses KILL my knees. This is new, b/c my knees have never bothered me before. I haven't changed anything else in my life (except maybe LESS running b/c I'm doing so much yoga). Which, leads me to this achy shoulder...Man, I would totally sign up for a bionic body-or joints!
Jennifer
Jennifer,
I had a run-in with a tree when I was snowboarding this past winter (more like getting stuck in a tree). I thought I was okay until my shoulder starting hurting. I got an xray/MRI and realized it was due to a herniated disc in my neck (from that incident). Try being more careful with your neck and stay away from headstands and the like if they are part of your practice. Read mine and Rhonda's posts above--maybe you will get some relief too.
Laura
Oh yea, Laura, I agree with the no head stands rule. I'm trying to learn how to do a dolphin hand stand, and hand stands in general. (balance isn't a strong suit, yet.) In general, I'm try to move the neck more slowly, and be aware. I think a lot of times, I forget i have an injury, until I REMEMBER it.
Still trying to figure out the reason for my knees bothering me. I'm believing this yoga will reverse my "hard livin" past! :)
JenniferD
Jennifer - knees are tricky - best not to ask too much of them - which is why Lock the Leg in the standing poses is so important: the thigh muscle takes the weight, the knee is relieved, and the locking contraction of the thigh muscle even forces blood flow upwards rather than letting blood pool in the lower leg; that's why your leg feels like a "tree trunk, sold and unbending..." and light rather than achy.
Headstands, done right, are wonderful for stress relief on the organs and increasing blood flow - but they really should be renamed: you should never press the top of your head to the floor thus you are not "standing on your head" - it is always the shoulders that take that weight. Dolphin poses are meant to strengthen those shoulders. Also a Headstand Bench, which allows your head to hang and your shoulders to press into the cushions, is a great "training wheel" - and it feels amazing.
Rhonda
A student in class recently with rotator cuff issues, was wearing a "brace" for her shoulder. She removed it at my request to not wear anything that would constrict blood flow to the area. She said she actually felt better in that shoulder and saw improvement!
When she told her doctor about her improvement in hot yoga, he cautioned her to " always wear the brace to keep your shoulder moving the right way."
I never tell anyone to go against their doctors but often it seems to me that, in being cautious, doctors put a fear in their patients that constricts movement. This advice doesn't jive with my belief that your magnificent body already knows how to best move to heal itself.
Do you know stories of joints healed through hot yoga, either for yourself or your students?
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Is anyone struggling with tight or injured knees, shoulders (including rotator cuff) and oh, my aching back surgery, herniated or slipped discs or otherwise? Ask here and I can tell you more about how specific poses can help relieve those aches